Tag Archives: Italy

High in the Appenine mountains of Tuscany, in the middle of a dense forest of fir and beech trees, rests the majestic Benedictine Monastery of Vallombrosa, founded in 1038. It is a magical tribute to the power of spirit to … Continue reading →

Sure, there’s the Indy 500. Then there’s NASCAR Racing. Even Formula Racing. But none of them compares with the racing event held around June 1st in Tuscany. That’s the day for the annual world-class er . . . locally celebrated … Continue reading →

In 1980, the average Italian drank 50 liters of water per year. Today that number has soared to 200, as bottled water has become more plentiful, affordable and more habitual—which is a good thing, right? Well, the shadow side of … Continue reading →

Ferruccio Lamborghini decided to create super sports cars to compete with Ferrari, which already had a 16 year head-start—an almost impossible challenge. He was 47 years old at the time, and already a famous Italian entrepreneur. People thought he was … Continue reading →

May 20th, 2012. In the early morning hours, the small Italian town of Finale Emilia became the epicenter of a 6.0 magnitude earthquake—shaking the heart and soul of the beautiful historic town center. Only one year before, we visited that … Continue reading →

To say that things move slowly in Tuscany would be a colossal understatement. However, thanks to that nearly imperceivable plodding pace, Toscana remains true to her simple beauty—year after year after year. However, beneath the timeless and serenely rolling landscape, … Continue reading →

There’s nothing like a Tuscan scavenger hunt. Saturday’s goal was to unearth some of the relics of the ancient Florentine past, buried in the middle of the bustling 21st century life. We headed northwest from Florence into the challenging sea … Continue reading →